Michael Parekowhai

Michael Parekowhai

Michael Parekowhai (b. Porirua, 1968) is a New Zealand sculptor, of Nga Ariki, Ngati Whakarongo and European descent. He makes a broad range of work, across a range of media that intersects sculpture and photography. Despite the range of Parekowhai's output, his practice is linked throughout, both stylistically - a characteristic 'gloss' of high production value, and thematically.

Parekowhai's narrative is complex. He draws on an abundant range of 'readymade' vocabularies which are then re-manufactured in the work. Although the key themes of his practice could be described as deliberate takes on notions of introduced species and culture, the potentially political dimensions, however, are downplayed. Ideas of camaraderie - the band of brothers, tools of teaching and childhood learning (in particular Cuisenaire rods and kitset models), as well as quotes from the canon of modern art history and popular culture openly play out in many of Parekowhai's stories.

Both his parents were schoolteachers. Parekowhai spent his childhood and attended school in Auckland's North Shore suburbs. After leaving high-school, Parekowhai worked as a florist's assistant before commencing his BFA at Auckland University's Elam School of Fine Arts (1987–1990). Parekowhai trained as a high-school art teacher, before returning to Elam to complete his MFA (1998–2000). Parekowhai was awarded an Arts Foundation of New Zealand Laureate Award in 2001, and is currently Associate Professor at Auckland University's Elam School of Fine Arts.

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